Print Course Materials

it is suggested handout materials are printed on a photocopy machine so changes can be incorporated easily and handout materials remain up to date.  sending handout materials to an external printer can save you money when you compare the cost of photocopy ink with the cost of printing outside the organization, but remember:

1. the handouts will become out of date if changes take place inside the organization 
2. whenever possible, remove information from your handouts which changes regularly e.g. organisational charts, job titles
3. printers will charge for a minimum quantity of items printed

printing using the photocopier
with course materials it is suggested they are printed on white A4 paper, using both sides of the paper.  the papers should be either stapled together, using two staples on the left hand side of the page, or punched and inserted into an A4 file.

remember, when you are printing handout materials, no one else will be able use the printer and you will make a lot of people angry if you block up a photo-copy machine all day.  if you have a lot of printing to do, ask all users before you start to print if it's OK to do so, and then print for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time - be sure to let other office staff use the photocopier.

print only the number of copies you need for each course; one for each participant + one copy extra for the trainer.  the trainer should write updates and information to be added to the course on their copy and once the course is finished, the material is updated as soon as is possible.  if you leave it till the next time you run the course, not only is it unlikely to happen, all the improvements will have been forgotten.

count the pages
before you start printing handout materials, count the number of sheets of paper needed.  that way you should have time to order additional stock or find it from somewhere else.  always keep spare paper somewhere in the office so you don't run out. 

leave yourself enough time to print, and factor in something will go wrong such as:

1.  printer will break down, it's a weekend and the maintenance can't be called
2. the ink will run out
3. the toner waste will fill up
4. the paper will run out
5. the paper won't feed through the photocopier
6. the computer won't connect with the photocopier

include the date
if you print off lots of spare copies, in addition to wasting resources, you're likely to find they'll be out of date when you run the next course.  it is suggested the date is printed on the bottom of all handout pages so students are aware which is the latest information when/ if they compare handout materials.  

make sure to print the latest edition and destroy any old digital versions you may have stored in your computer.  having said that, wait to destroy the old version until the course using this version has finished (you'll want to print the same version if you have late joiners).

course materials should be updated regularly as the course changes and new items are added and redundant parts are removed.  if it’s a new course which is being run, the handout materials will be updated daily as you realize what you want changed.  

image taken from  here